With the pungent smell coming from gas lamps illuminating a mere space it could reach, students could not do anything but sniff gasoline as those lamps gleamed with a yellow light that guided them to write. All they could do is to inhale and exhale the dizzying smell of gas every night. 

 

As soon as the sun sets, the gas lamps are set to fire and the gasoline smell starts to wander around. The Philippine Statistics Authority stated that for the past years, four in every ten poor Filipino families still have no electricity in the country. Thus, those families are left behind with the only choice—to compromise and look for alternatives. 

 

Considering not only the energy crisis itself in the country, the use of gas lamps and the like brings more negative consequences to the environment. The utilization of fossil fuels intensifies the climate change crisis. Moreover, these gas lamps contribute to the trapped heat in the atmosphere of the Earth which aggravates global warming. 

 

With these evident disasters, a few countries have started and are starting to take action. With almost all of the countries striving to implement and continue their economic-centered intention, Bhutan was applauded for having a distinct perspective. Instead of acquiring a better quality of Gross National Product, Bhutan’s ideal plan is to prioritize Gross National Happiness which guides the government of Bhutan to have an index of the well-being, collective happiness, and the betterment towards the people's rightful approach to the environment. 

 

This may not be the case in the Philippines but surely the country has another approach to lessen the dizzying gasoline-like effects of climate change. During Duterte’s regime, he signed an Executive Order that pertains to a 25-year vision of the country. Also known as the AmBisyon Natin 2040, the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) of the Department of Energy expects that the current 21% of renewable energy in the country will increase to 35% up to 50% in the years 2030 and 2050 respectively. This renewable energy mainly comes from sources such as hydropower. From the current 9.30-peso demand of electricity companies per kilowatt hour, the AmBisyon 2040 anticipates the possibility to lower it to 2.97 – 3.14 pesos as well. 

 

Soon enough, in lieu of sniffing the smell of the gas and polluted air, people will breathe the freshness with a less pungent smell. Soon enough, there will be no more inhaling of a compound called carbon dioxide. But for now, inhale, exhale, it will all be okay, maybe... someday.